Integrated Computer Solutionshttp://www.icsinc.com
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 14:14:04 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.4/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/cropped-ics-32x32.jpgIntegrated Computer Solutionshttp://www.icsinc.com
323269170346Hey Alexa, Can You Hear Me Now?http://www.icsinc.com/hey-alexa-can-you-hear-me-now/
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 13:18:12 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5806How cool is it to say something and have your car act on it? “Play my favorite song,” or “Add my meeting with world leaders to my calendar,” or “Take me to the nearest Radio Shack.” Okay that last one’s tough, but digital assistants are almost ubiquitous in cars these days. And just as with]]>

How cool is it to say something and have your car act on it? “Play my favorite song,” or “Add my meeting with world leaders to my calendar,” or “Take me to the nearest Radio Shack.” Okay that last one’s tough, but digital assistants are almost ubiquitous in cars these days. And just as with their home-based cousins, your automotive assistants are listening even when you’re not talking to them. The automakers or third-party vendors then capture and package that data to make your shopping, driving, and existential decisions in real time. The quandary remains, where is the balance point between convenience and privacy, and who guards that line?

From an organizational standpoint, don’t be too quick to dismiss the implications of this trend. Consider how much business your staff conducts on the phone while commuting to the office. How many times do we look to our cars as “cones of silence” when trying to keep a conversation private? While manufacturers are working on keeping digital assistants in their lane, ask yourself how many times you see new ads on your phone immediately following face-to-face conversations about a product or service, at a dinner table when your phone was off. Happens more frequently than you might imagine. Now imagine your trade secrets or confidential business information being sucked into the ether the same way.

Neither Lender Nor Luddite Be

It seems unlikely that we’ll return to landlines and bag phones anytime soon, but a higher level of vigilance is certainly warranted.

If you have questions about your enterprise security, call ICS. It’s what we do.

]]>5806Remember Windows 95?http://www.icsinc.com/remember-windows-95/
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 13:12:39 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5803Let’s go back to the day when IT professionals wore wire-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors. They didn’t want to stain the pockets of their white short-sleeved shirts or black ties. In fact, let’s replay the entire memory in black and white, just for fun. It can be so nostalgic to remember the old days. Turns]]>

Let’s go back to the day when IT professionals wore wire-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors. They didn’t want to stain the pockets of their white short-sleeved shirts or black ties. In fact, let’s replay the entire memory in black and white, just for fun. It can be so nostalgic to remember the old days. Turns out, they’re not as gone or forgotten as we used to think.

A new report from Avast (the PC Trends of 2019, reviewed by The Hacker News here) suggests that many folks prefer the good old days, and increase their vulnerability to hacking by retaining outdated apps on their computers. I know, right? Who doesn’t have an older version of Skype or Mozilla or WinZip on their computer? Well, if you are one of those who do, you increase your threat of breach by ignoring the security enhancements of the newer versions of these apps. And chances are, if you’re not updating apps, you’re not updating operating systems either.

This Procrastination Will Not Stand, Man

Remember Global WannaCry? That malware exploited a security hole in previous versions of Windows, like Windows XP, that Microsoft had patched in newer, supported versions of the operating system.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to be the guiding mantra. The reality is, though, if you’re running old equipment or old versions of apps, it’s broke. ICS can use tools like optimized network operations to enable your equipment to help itself. And your organization.

]]>5803The Art Of Collectionhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-art-of-collection/
Wed, 06 Feb 2019 13:09:00 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5799773 million. That’s a lot. And That’s how many records were exposed in what’s being called a “monster breach” or a “breach of breaches.” The data was collected over time and displayed publicly on a cloud service and then a popular hacking forum. The details are readily available, including a recent Wired article as well]]>

773 million. That’s a lot. And That’s how many records were exposed in what’s being called a “monster breach” or a “breach of breaches.” The data was collected over time and displayed publicly on a cloud service and then a popular hacking forum. The details are readily available, including a recent Wired article as well as a piece in Fortune Magazine.

One of the most alarming revelations in Collection #1, the most voluminous breach ever, is that passwords were not hashed. They were presented in plain text. And the collection was never really for sale. Instead, it was presented for general use, as it no doubt will be.

Diminishing Room For Error
Your organization does great things, and you’ve got some of the best people in the business, but these are not laurels to be rested upon. Every time a member of your staff logs onto the Internet or leaves the office with their company cell phone, your operation is exposed. With the right things in place, though, you can let your staff do what your network and data allow them to do best: build your business.

Enterprise Security Management is a process ICS uses to examine all relevant aspects of your business to ensure the integrity of your systems. Your business is only as safe as its weakest link to the big bad world beyond your firewall. Collection #1 reminds us that clever hackers are hard at work around the clock to find a way into your data. Why not let ICS work around the clock to help you protect it? Call today.

]]>5799Freelance Into The Future?http://www.icsinc.com/freelance-into-the-future/
Wed, 30 Jan 2019 20:08:30 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5784There is post-war, post-modern, post-industrialist, and even the post-post rush of social media. (How many likes did I get? Am I valued in the world?) To advance into the world we’re creating, we often seem to be stumbling backwards. Take freelancing, for example. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, small towns]]>

There is post-war, post-modern, post-industrialist, and even the post-post rush of social media. (How many likes did I get? Am I valued in the world?) To advance into the world we’re creating, we often seem to be stumbling backwards. Take freelancing, for example. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, small towns and villages were the very hotbeds of freelancing. There were no corporations, no companies too big to fail, and no organized labor. There was only labor, and one was happy to get the opportunity to provide it. So it is back to the future, it seems, as freelancing emerges as the greatest innovation since the bag phone, or maybe the Members Only jacket.

As it is the wave of the future, lots of companies are riding the nose by developing ways to streamline the integration of freelance labor into corporate cultures and workflow. A recent Fortune Magazine article describes efforts being made by Microsoft and Upwork, but they’re not the only cowboys in this rodeo, all of whom are hoping to stay on the bull for longer than eight seconds. The technology, it seems, is evolving in step with the labor trends.

Are You Free To Be Me?
As great as the technology is, the most essential organizational ingredient remains the human one. People. ICS shepherds good people into challenging and rewarding relationships with clients who work with us because we deliver more than they expect, who like us because they recognize our mission of continuous improvement.

Do you need to climb some new learning curves and broaden your horizon? Let ICS be your guide, your sherpa, your next step. Call today.

]]>5784Life At The Edge Of Acronymhttp://www.icsinc.com/life-at-the-edge-of-acronym/
Wed, 26 Dec 2018 17:12:34 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5667If you live and work in the IT world long enough, you begin to speak in a strange vernacular, a language specific to the task of dispensing information efficiently to others who also know the language. IT, for example, is more efficient than information technology. API is more efficient than application program interface, which is]]>

If you live and work in the IT world long enough, you begin to speak in a strange vernacular, a language specific to the task of dispensing information efficiently to others who also know the language. IT, for example, is more efficient than information technology. API is more efficient than application program interface, which is itself used often when developing GUIs, or graphical user interfaces. With an acronym, WYSIWYG. Raise your hand if you know what that means. You get the picture.

Just beyond the acronyms are the words and phrases that often attach themselves whimsically to products and programs. Windows replaced DOS, for example, and Apple has worked through all types of animals to land on Mojave as a current OS. The whimsical nature of the program names really shines in the AppDev world, where JBoss gets in a Scrum with Tomcat and a Python named Ajax rides an Electric Beanstalk to Grunt at an Apache sipping Java on a vmWare cloud. These program names are so fun to say, and they’re easily worked into a great story. You should try that.

What’s Your Story?

Anybody can use the program names to create a good story, but not everybody can use the programs to develop great applications for your organization. But ICS can. The professionals at ICS use these programs and many others to cultivate the right apps for the right purpose every day, and if they’re not telling your story yet, you’re at a SharePoint that will make you SQL like a MondoDB while your business runs like a Ruby On Rails.

]]>5667Setting Suns and Setting Goalshttp://www.icsinc.com/setting-suns-and-setting-goals/
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 10:04:37 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5662As the sun sets on 2018, don’t let the lyrics of “Auld Lang Syne” and the prospect of bowl game parties occupy the depth and breadth of your personal hard drive and career objectives. There is, after all, a new year on the horizon, so the time is right to honestly assess your situation, take]]>

As the sun sets on 2018, don’t let the lyrics of “Auld Lang Syne” and the prospect of bowl game parties occupy the depth and breadth of your personal hard drive and career objectives. There is, after all, a new year on the horizon, so the time is right to honestly assess your situation, take stock of your options, and, quite possibly, take a look at what the market is demanding these days and how you might better supply it. If this sounds like a pitch, that’s because it is. And if you’ve got a minute, have we got a story for you.

ICS is growing. Not surprising, given the rapid expansion of the IT and cybersecurity industry. What may be surprising is that we have managed to grow without compromising the integrity we fought to establish as a new firm years ago. That can be difficult to manage. The objective, according to poet Rudyard Kipling, is to “Keep your head while all about you are losing theirs.” To do so requires a purposeful stance on growth and steady investment in the right people.

There Is No “I” In Team

But there is a team at ICS, a group of professionals that believes in delivering more than expected, predictably, and without compromise. Our clients are budget conscious but value oriented, and we like to reflect their perspective. We seek team members who add substantive value to our mission and, therefore, our clients.

As you prepare to ring in the new year, if you feel you hold untapped value and potential, give us a ring.

]]>5662Thomas Brazil, Chief Digital Officer at Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS), Inc., will be presenting at Innovacon 2019.http://www.icsinc.com/thomas-brazil-chief-digital-officer-at-integrated-computer-solutions-ics-inc-will-be-presenting-at-innovacon-2019/
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 19:40:42 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5645 The International Association of Innovation Professionals (IAOIP) is partnering with the U.S Chamber of Commerce to bring you Innova-Con 2019. On Jan 29-30, 2019, over 300 professionals from industry, government and academia will converge at the U.S Chamber building in Washington DC to experience innovation in action – and learn from a panel]]>

The International Association of Innovation Professionals (IAOIP) is partnering with the U.S Chamber of Commerce to bring you Innova-Con 2019.

On Jan 29-30, 2019, over 300 professionals from industry, government and academia will converge at the U.S Chamber building in Washington DC to experience innovation in action – and learn from a panel of experts how to drive, measure and manage innovation in their organizations. The IAOIP – the world’s largest certifying body of innovation professionals – has been selected to help create the new global Innovation Management standards, ISO 50500, which will have a far-reaching and beneficial impact on governments and businesses world-wide.

Thomas Brazil, Chief Digital Officer at Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS), Inc. will be a featured innovation speaker at the conference. His presentation is entitled “Managing Innovation for the DoD: Building the Right Innovation Portfolio.” Asked about his presentation, Mr. Brazil stated, “Many CIOs and Digital Transformation Leaders are under pressure to either ramp-up or expand their innovation efforts to ensure they can keep their organizations abreast of the pace of change. The problem for many leaders is that without an innovation system, successful innovation outcomes tend to be sporadic and episodic. However, our experience has shown that innovation outcomes for us and our clients can be continuously successful through the use of an agile innovation system designed to align strategic objectives with innovation intent. Whether we innovate for ourselves or on behalf of or in concert with our clients, the process is the same. We designed our system around IAOIP Innovation Management best practices and we now provide an ‘Agile Innovation Management as a Service’ offering to kick-start implementation for organizations that want to follow the same track.”

This year’s Innova-Con conference was designed by Langdon Morris, world-renowned innovation thought-leader and author, features 5 tracks over 2 days:

As ICS’s CDO, Tom is responsible for understanding the disruptive, fast-paced evolutions occurring in the era of digital business and helping our clients achieve their Digital Transformation and Innovation objectives. Tom is an IAOIP-certified Manager of Innovation that is on-track to become the IAOIP’s first Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCIO). Find out more about Tom, Innovation, and ICS at www.icsinc.com.

]]>5645Nerds In A Bubblehttp://www.icsinc.com/nerds-in-a-bubble/
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 07:51:22 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5636Ever heard of the term “Think Tank?” No doubt you have, and most of them are centered around policy development and political lobbying in our state and national capitols. Some gravitate to specific areas of interest, like oil and gas, foreign relations, or various manifestations of specific ideologies, all working to mold public opinion into]]>

Ever heard of the term “Think Tank?” No doubt you have, and most of them are centered around policy development and political lobbying in our state and national capitols. Some gravitate to specific areas of interest, like oil and gas, foreign relations, or various manifestations of specific ideologies, all working to mold public opinion into a more generous reflection of their ideas.

Cynicism aside, think tanks can do good work, but the term evokes an image of really smart people sitting around a table in a glass-enclosed room considering heady topics while the great unwashed and less able look on from the outside. It’s time to shatter that glass, uh, wall.

ICS has some really bright people on staff, the types of people who sit in the fishbowl and strategize and pontificate and think deeply. But we’re taking our nerds out of the bubble and putting them to work. For you.

Our Innovation Council, the leading edge of our efforts, the ones who look way out over the hood, are now actively engaged with our customers, cultivating fresh ideas and giving our clients ready access to, quite literally, the smartest guys and gals in the room. Any room. Our hope is to leverage more effectively our very able brain trust in a way that allows your organization to continually improve your IT environment and operations.

So if you want a fresh set of really sharp eyes on your IT infrastructure, call ICS today.

]]>5636Captain Of The Enterprisehttp://www.icsinc.com/captain-of-the-enterprise/
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 07:42:34 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5633Remember when the Enterprise would hurtle through time and space under the calm direction of Jim and Spock and Dr. Whatshisname? Those were the days, right? Threats were seen in advance, galaxies away, and even shown on the big screen before actual engagement was necessary. And when Captain Kirk found trouble on foreign soil, he]]>

Remember when the Enterprise would hurtle through time and space under the calm direction of Jim and Spock and Dr. Whatshisname? Those were the days, right? Threats were seen in advance, galaxies away, and even shown on the big screen before actual engagement was necessary. And when Captain Kirk found trouble on foreign soil, he punched a few buttons on his iWatch and reappeared on the flight deck. Maybe a few close calls, but no muss, no fuss.

Enterprise Security Management (ESM) has grown more complicated since those early years and now seems to include all risks faced by organizations and threats to core operations. Bear in mind that most of those operations have digital exposure, so there is a cyber component to all of ESM. Managing all of the pieces — and a recent CIO Insight article suggests there are many — can be an onerous task, and one that changes by the minute.

ESM In This Climate

To describe “this climate” is to set it apart from other “climates,” so let’s avoid that trap. Sure, the job is more complex, but the tools to assist in the process are more abundant, and the people are more prepared. If they’re the right people. Managers across your leadership team have to be a part of the ESM conversation, because the operations they shepherd are at risk. Threat modeling, for example, is more effective if the modeler has the attention and input of the various operating departments, from sales to accounting to shipping and beyond. Points of entry for the bad people come in all colors, and the object is to protect the specific by understanding the whole.

ICS Is The GOAT In ESM

We look at your organization holistically, soup to nuts, bonnet to boot, and use all the tools at our disposal — including some really talented people — to expose the vulnerabilities and work the problem. How can we help your enterprise? Beam us up and let’s find out.

]]>5633We Are the Shhh of IThttp://www.icsinc.com/we-are-the-shhh-of-it/
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 08:37:49 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5630At ICS, we don’t compromise when it comes to delivering more than our customers expect. We’re so focused on that mission that it seems the only thing we fail to do with equal fervor is tell our own story or toot our own horn. Despite the relative silence, our business has grown in parallel with]]>

At ICS, we don’t compromise when it comes to delivering more than our customers expect. We’re so focused on that mission that it seems the only thing we fail to do with equal fervor is tell our own story or toot our own horn. Despite the relative silence, our business has grown in parallel with our clients, whose IT needs have been met professionally and selflessly and, yes, quietly. We’re like the E.F. Hutton of the IT world, and if you recognize that reference, congratulations on your longevity in the tech industry.

Longevity is at the heart of what we do and what we’ve built, and along the way we’ve assembled quite a team of professionals intent on delivering transformative IT services and solutions quietly and predictably.

If you are new to the tech industry and looking for a professional home, we should talk. If you are an experienced IT professional in search of a better fit, we should talk. If you are an organization in need of fresh eyes on your IT and security infrastructure, we should talk. If you have found the perfect barbecue joint, we should talk. At the restaurant, about your IT future.

So give ICS a call today. We’re always looking for the right people to add value to our mission. And we’re always looking for the clients best served by that mission and commitment.

]]>5630The Luddite Next Doorhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-luddite-next-door/
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 08:33:54 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5627Can you imagine developing a product these days through a process that never once considers the Internet? Utility, distribution, sales, marketing, back-end, and customer support are some of the constituent parts of your new product’s development that will never even brush up against the Internet. Tough to fathom such a circumstance in today’s environment. Even]]>

Can you imagine developing a product these days through a process that never once considers the Internet? Utility, distribution, sales, marketing, back-end, and customer support are some of the constituent parts of your new product’s development that will never even brush up against the Internet. Tough to fathom such a circumstance in today’s environment. Even a resurgent buggy whip manufacturer is likely to secure www.buggywhip.com fairly early in the thought process.
Closer to the truth is the absolute connection between your products or services and the old interwebs, and for most of you, those products or services are offered through outward-facing applications with your name and reputation attached. If the security of those applications, from development to implementation to daily interaction is paramount — and we think it should be — you should get to know the knowledgeable folks at ICS.

The DL On SDL And AppSec

In a world where acronyms roam freely and impact broadly, SDL is one worth remembering. Originally a Microsoft commitment, the Secure Development Lifecycle is a process for standardizing best practices across developed products, services, and applications. Even if it’s not familiar, the acronym flows through the bloodstream of your organization. However, while the SDL does a great job of taking security seriously and disseminating details through open source, there is no rock solid industry standard execution of SDL. The entire process still involves people, and people are often vulnerabilities clothed in hipster plaid and pocket protectors.

The ICS Of AppSec

Your organization, like all others, is people who need people. And we know the right people. In fact, we are the right people. Application Security begins before the first line of code is even written and depends on processes like vulnerability assessments and penetration testing from design to launch and beyond.

So, before you reach out to people with products and services, make sure you reach out to the right people. ICS.

]]>5627Nanny Cam Gone Roguehttp://www.icsinc.com/nanny-cam-gone-rogue/
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 08:16:28 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5624Everybody knows the Internet of Things is changing the way we live in substantive ways, from thermostats and toaster ovens to alarm systems and lighting controls. If you’re sitting at a hotel bar in Schenectady and want to mix a smoothie in your own kitchen back in Phoenix, there’s an app for that. You might]]>

Everybody knows the Internet of Things is changing the way we live in substantive ways, from thermostats and toaster ovens to alarm systems and lighting controls. If you’re sitting at a hotel bar in Schenectady and want to mix a smoothie in your own kitchen back in Phoenix, there’s an app for that. You might also ask yourself why you’re sitting in a hotel bar in Schenectady, but that’s another story. Another question worth asking is where does this all stop? What price are we willing to pay for convenience?

A recent Independent article reveals a new low for the discerning consumer of IoT devices. Apparently, children’s toys and baby monitors are no longer insulated from the grimy grasp of those who would do harm to you and yours. Nanny Cams that can be hacked to work against you, and baby monitors that can be manipulated to send the wrong information about your child. And those are the ones you know about because you turn them on and off regularly. Imagine the other, less utilized toys and devices sending your every movement and utterance to the highest bidder. If that doesn’t scare you, you’re not listening. But they are.

Toy Story 8: The IT Showdown

If ever there was a company prepared to go to infinity and beyond to protect your assets, it would be ICS. Already known for delivering beyond expectations, the IT professionals at ICS have a passion for continuous improvement. They want to identify the weaknesses, address the issues, and work the problems that will ensure that your organization’s toy box remains a safe haven for you and your crew. So give us a buzz today. We’re lightyears ahead of the rest.

]]>5624The Abstract And The Concretehttp://www.icsinc.com/the-abstract-and-the-concrete/
Wed, 07 Nov 2018 08:59:28 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5619The world is abuzz with stories of breaches and cyberthreats, accounts of stolen data and stolen identities. Some famous names are thrown around, names that you know and trust, but the story usually involves someone else, another company or an anonymous cast of unlucky souls who trusted their data to their favorite store or credit]]>

The world is abuzz with stories of breaches and cyberthreats, accounts of stolen data and stolen identities. Some famous names are thrown around, names that you know and trust, but the story usually involves someone else, another company or an anonymous cast of unlucky souls who trusted their data to their favorite store or credit card company. The loss is abstract in those terms. You sense the threat, and the threat is real, but it’s tough to generate a sense of urgency to do anything about protecting yourself. It happened to somebody else. And then you hit the concrete.

The Dust That Never Settles

A breach like Equifax, and the many others like it, exposes consumer data in palpable ways, and the victims often don’t know anything has happened until everything has happened. It starts with an envelope from a company you’ve never heard of, a retailer asking for a down payment of half the credit you are seeking to cover a purchase you never made. It’s all very confusing until you get the store representative on the phone and discover that not only did the fraudulent purchaser have your home address, they had your complete social security number. And the kicker is that they probably paid less than 35 cents for your file on the dark web.

Scale It Like You Own It

Now imagine a consumer’s reaction to the above, and the lengthy process required to quantify the damage and set things right. Then make that single consumer a going concern with thousands of employees and mountains of data, and you get the picture.

The threat is real. Now. Today. And you need to take concrete steps to protect your organization and your data.

ICS delivers more of what you need and expects, predictably and without compromise. You want them on your team. Call today.

]]>5619The Hunter Becomes The Huntedhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-hunter-becomes-the-hunted/
Fri, 26 Oct 2018 10:00:50 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5590Ever get the feeling that you are being watched? Has that sensation become even more pronounced as you have transitioned into the digital age? How about if roles were reversed? Have you ever used software or available technology to keep an eye on children or colleagues or others in your world? Because the software is]]>

Ever get the feeling that you are being watched? Has that sensation become even more pronounced as you have transitioned into the digital age? How about if roles were reversed? Have you ever used software or available technology to keep an eye on children or colleagues or others in your world? Because the software is out there, and it extends beyond simply finding friends with your iPhone. Does the availability of such options make you feel safer or more vulnerable?

These are all great questions, and some of the questions that are being asked by the customers of mSpy, a purveyor of spy software, in light of the recent breaches that left more than 2 million records exposed. According to a recent Gizmodo report, the software was purchased in many cases to stalk victims, despite user agreement disclaimers that the software cannot be used for illegal purposes.

Antisocial Engineering

You put a lot of time into the development and cultivation of your applications and data. Your organization’s strength correlates directly to your staff’s ability to leverage that data and those applications to move your enterprise forward. What happens if someone uses one of your applications for purposes far beyond what you had ever imagined? What’s the recovery plan from such an invasion? The same is true for your data. Do you have a plan in place that enables you to recover from such a breach?

ICS asks these questions of clients every day, and we work hard to provide the answers where possible. At the very least, you should be asking these questions. Call today and let’s start a conversation.

]]>5590Paving The Road To Hellhttp://www.icsinc.com/paving-the-road-to-hell/
Tue, 23 Oct 2018 10:00:00 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5587Even the best intentions can complicate matters. In pursuit of increased transparency, for example, the government designed and maintains a website portal to facilitate Freedom of Information Act requests by the public. According to a recent CNN report, that website was undergoing some minor design changes when social security numbers and other sensitive data were released]]>

Even the best intentions can complicate matters. In pursuit of increased transparency, for example, the government designed and maintains a website portal to facilitate Freedom of Information Act requests by the public. According to a recent CNN report, that website was undergoing some minor design changes when social security numbers and other sensitive data were released to the wild. The error was fixed after CNN alerted them, and the amount of data released was very small, but the episode underscores the vulnerability of all organizations, even those trying to do the right thing.

The Moral Of The Story

Like the rest of the world, your organization relies on your network and data to grow your business and improve the lives of your stakeholders. But that data is only as good as it’s usability to your staff and clients. So changes have to be made from time to time, and the human element returns to the process with a vengeance.

The human element, though, is a particular strength for ICS. We have a team of specialists waiting to facilitate your every digital footstep, in a clear, efficient, and safe manner. And these specialists can be added to your team as needed, allowing your organization to remain nimble and fleet of foot, ready to pounce on opportunities like green on grass.

The Morale Of The Story

What better way to demonstrate good faith in your staff than by adding the help they need when and as they need it. Call ICS, and let’s make that happen.

]]>5587The Warning Lights Are Blinking Redhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-warning-lights-are-blinking-red/
Wed, 10 Oct 2018 09:55:59 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5584At what point in a boat ride does incoming water equate into cause for concern? Is it when your toes get wet? Your shoes? Ankles? Knees? Shoulders? Now imagine cyberthreats are the water, and your boat is sailing along smoothly, though you are increasingly aware of changes in the water that draw your attention. That’s]]>

At what point in a boat ride does incoming water equate into cause for concern? Is it when your toes get wet? Your shoes? Ankles? Knees? Shoulders? Now imagine cyberthreats are the water, and your boat is sailing along smoothly, though you are increasingly aware of changes in the water that draw your attention. That’s hard enough if you run a small organization. Now imagine you are the U.S. Government and the Department of Homeland Security. You have a lot on your plate.

Voices who should know are now calling for a national agency dedicated to cybersecurity, according to a recent Politico article penned, in part, by General David Petraeus. The central argument, it seems, is that DHS has limited resources, and only a part of those resources can be dedicated to the growing cybersecurity threat. He suggests that a cabinet-level agency focused on cybersecurity issues might be better equipped to handle the rapidly changing threat landscape. Given the flourishing number of cyberattacks in recent years, it seems appropriately responsive to step up our national game.

We’re Here To Help

The government is not always as responsive as it could or should be, admittedly, but there are circumstances where the government is uniquely positioned to help. And the article suggests that the new agency is simply a more efficient and effective way to achieve the established goals of the DHS.

Your organization might also benefit from a more efficient and effective pursuit of your cybersecurity goals. You might be sailing along smoothly with dry toes, but this might be the perfect time to check the seaworthiness of your network.

]]>5584Cybercrime: A Growth Industryhttp://www.icsinc.com/cybercrime-a-growth-industry/
Fri, 05 Oct 2018 10:48:12 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5581According to a recent Positive Technologies Report, cyberattacks increased 32% year over year from Q1 2017 to Q1 2018. Numbers like that suggest the likelihood of an attack on your organization falls somewhere between inevitable and “hold my beer and watch this.” Staring that kind of exposure in the face can be daunting, and is daunting]]>

According to a recent Positive Technologies Report, cyberattacks increased 32% year over year from Q1 2017 to Q1 2018. Numbers like that suggest the likelihood of an attack on your organization falls somewhere between inevitable and “hold my beer and watch this.” Staring that kind of exposure in the face can be daunting, and is daunting for everyone with even the toe of a digital footprint. Even if you’ve got an IT staff, a regiment of geeks, and a resident nerd savant who “sees” into your network with a charming yet off-putting clarity, the ability to see both the threats and your proprietary network can be limited from the inside. Meanwhile, the threat grows in a manner unmatched by most organizational revenues and budgets.

Get A Set

Maybe you don’t need fewer IT folks. A recent Forbes article suggests you just might need a fresh set of eyes, a fresh perspective, an objective look from outside of your organization that affirms or reforms your cybersecurity efforts without busting your budget.

ICS offers a variety of staff augmentation options that enable your organization to benefit from fresh perspective without incurring the legacy costs often associated with human resources. The result is greater nimbility and responsiveness to threats, current, and future. But cost savings are not the only benefits of outsourcing. Even greater is the surgical strike of a specialist who knows, sees, and acts from cyber experience across industries, backed by a team working on your behalf, if not specifically on your account. Cyber Security is what we do. ICS can provide you credentialed, experienced, professionals today to improve your organization tomorrow.

]]>5581The Cybersecurity Three Putthttp://www.icsinc.com/the-cybersecurity-three-putt/
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 10:13:55 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5578Maybe you’re a golfer, or maybe you know someone who is. If so, then you know the passion that often accompanies the pastime. There’s often a payment of homage to the “golf gods” for putts made or pars saved. The gods themselves seem somewhat capricious, as witnessed by the tendency for golfers to follow birdies]]>

Maybe you’re a golfer, or maybe you know someone who is. If so, then you know the passion that often accompanies the pastime. There’s often a payment of homage to the “golf gods” for putts made or pars saved. The gods themselves seem somewhat capricious, as witnessed by the tendency for golfers to follow birdies with somewhat higher scores on subsequent holes. There’s a name for that post-birdie mistake, just as there are names for almost every facet of the game. And the data is increasingly collected and considered important. And sometimes held for ransom.

The PGA Championship is the final major championship of the season, and according to a BBC report and GolfWeek Magazine, hackers penetrated servers belonging to the PGA of America in the weeks leading up to the tournament. While the timing was intended to foster a sense of urgency, the files in question never threatened the tournament itself, according to PGA officials. And a very calm Brooks Koepka held off a surging Tiger Woods among others to win the day.

Fore!

Maybe you’re not a golfer, and the metaphor above is lost on you. Look at it this way: If hackers will go after non-essential files on a golf server, is anybody really safe? How long before they recognize the fiscal possibilities of your organization and start lobbing golf balls into your backyard. Sorry. The metaphor again.

The Gimme

At ICS, we measure success by the only real scorecard, the security, and safety of our clients. Threats are now par for the course, and they combine the struggle of the sand trap with the penalty of the water hazard to slow your game. Don’t settle for that. ICS helps you tee to green on the cybersecurity links. Call today, and swing with confidence.

]]>5578The Heart Of The Matterhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-heart-of-the-matter/
Wed, 19 Sep 2018 10:01:32 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5575Ever experience one of those moments when your heart races? Maybe it was your first kiss or the first time you saw a Porsche 911. Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason your heart is racing. But sometimes it’s not, and that alone should make your heart race. Especially when a hacker has his]]>

Ever experience one of those moments when your heart races? Maybe it was your first kiss or the first time you saw a Porsche 911. Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason your heart is racing. But sometimes it’s not, and that alone should make your heart race. Especially when a hacker has his foot on the gas.

According to a recent Wired post, hackers are now able to put malware directly on pacemakers that allows them to control your beating heart. I hear what you’re saying. You don’t have a pacemaker, so the problem isn’t really relevant. I beg to differ. This vulnerability goes to the heart of your organization’s security, and not because Floyd, the security guard out front, could stand to lose a few.

Every Breath You Take

Funny thing about a pacemaker: it’s not personal. It’s a machine executing a task for which it was designed and deployed. The same is true for malware. Rarely is it personal. Pacemakers and malware try to control the heartbeat of your organization from the inside, without detection, proving that even the smallest and least perceptible components in your organization’s machine can bring you down.

Digital Surgeons

ICS can examine your organizational infrastructure and remove threats precisely and professionally, leaving the heart of your network and data beating like the drum you built it to be. Call and let’s talk about a complete physical today before the bad guys take control of your data and run your business at their pace.

]]>5575FIN7 Redefining Hospitalityhttp://www.icsinc.com/fin7-redefining-hospitality/
Wed, 31 Oct 2018 10:11:29 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5564Three Ukrainian nationals have been indicted by the Justice Department for their alleged participation with FIN7 hacking group, an international crime cooperative that has used phishing scams to capture credit card numbers from thousands of American businesses. And that’s just the United States and just the beginning. As outlined in the indictments reported in a]]>

Three Ukrainian nationals have been indicted by the Justice Department for their alleged participation with FIN7 hacking group, an international crime cooperative that has used phishing scams to capture credit card numbers from thousands of American businesses. And that’s just the United States and just the beginning. As outlined in the indictments reported in a recent Wired article, FIN7 penetrated the networks of restaurants and hotel chains with unassuming phishing emails requesting services or lodging complaints that obviously seemed credible to recipients. The cascading phishing strategy enabled hackers to get further behind the walls and into sensitive customer information, including credit card numbers. And in all cases it began with a single email to a single employee who opened a single attachment.

The Human Simplicity Of Cybercrime

The growing number of bots excluded, we are all human and as we tread the paths of this Internet, we are all vulnerable. We make mistakes, we have bad days, we get caught up in frenzied activity and lose sight of the new adage, “Don’t open attachments from strangers.” The question is not whether someone on your staff will make this mistake, it is simply when they will make it. And that’s just one way the bad guys get a foot in the door.

A Simple Solution For Cybersecurity

If you think a simple solution exists, let’s saddle up the unicorns and ride the rainbow to the pot of gold. The mistakes are simple, but the repairs to networks, data, and business reputations are increasingly complex. Cybercrime is like the plague. It’s best avoided.

And how is it best avoided? With the help of ICS and our network of professionals who professionally test your network for vulnerabilities and develop strategies to keep your business humming through all sorts of chaos. The answers are complex. The call is simple, though.

]]>5564Mitt Romney, Cyber Savanthttp://www.icsinc.com/mitt-romney-cyber-savant/
Wed, 10 Oct 2018 10:01:20 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5561If you were expecting this post to reveal some special powers possessed by any member of the Romney family, please assuage your initial disappointment with your first-hand experience with click bait. As far as is publicly reported, Mitt doesn’t fancy himself a cyber guru of any estimation. He did (and probably still does) have a]]>

If you were expecting this post to reveal some special powers possessed by any member of the Romney family, please assuage your initial disappointment with your first-hand experience with click bait. As far as is publicly reported, Mitt doesn’t fancy himself a cyber guru of any estimation. He did (and probably still does) have a gift for making money, though, especially in the M&A and LBO disciplines. The firm that fostered his particular gifts was Bain & Co., and that’s where our story takes shape.

According to a recent Bain & Co. analysis, large companies plan to increase their spending on IoT security devices to over $500 million dollars over the next four years. These are the devices that monitor shop floors and warehouse facilities and transportation infrastructure and the like. That’s all fine and good, especially for the purveyors of those devices, but the implications are worth noting.

Much of the cyber buzz about IoT is generated by consumer interest, to the point that we’ll never really look at kitchen appliances or thermostats or home security systems the same way again. Commercial ventures increasing their adoption of the IoT in a big way suggests that security vulnerability will increase as new portals to organizational networks are mounted to the walls and wired into the network.

If your organization is considering an increase in IoT-enabled devices, let ICS play a part in the design and implementation, with an eye to mitigating existing and future vulnerability. After all, even Mitt Romney can’t spell security without ICS.

]]>5561I Invented Cyberspacehttp://www.icsinc.com/i-invented-cyberspace/
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 10:38:10 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5557Meet William Gibson, an unassuming science fiction writer and author of the 1984 cult favorite Neuromancer. The Wikipedia description seems unassailable: “The novel tells the near-future story of Case, a washed-up computer hacker hired by a mysterious employer for one last job against a powerful artificial intelligence.” It was Gibson’s first novel, but it was]]>

Meet William Gibson, an unassuming science fiction writer and author of the 1984 cult favorite Neuromancer. The Wikipedia description seems unassailable: “The novel tells the near-future story of Case, a washed-up computer hacker hired by a mysterious employer for one last job against a powerful artificial intelligence.” It was Gibson’s first novel, but it was not to be his last. Even if you didn’t get a chance to read it, you’re probably familiar with the plot, since it formed the basis for The Matrix, a movie you’ve probably heard of.

Not a Keanu Reeves fan? Not to worry. That’s not the most notable feature of the movie or the novel for our purposes here. The most revelatory part of the Gibson story is the fact that he was the first to coin the expression “cyberspace.” Even if that doesn’t equal Al Gore’s invention of the Internet, you have to admit it’s pretty cool, especially given the growing number of suffixes now taken for granted with “cyber,” including our own, very special field of cybersecurity. There’s cybercrime, cyberforce, and even cyberpunk. There’s baked cyber, sautéed cyber, boiled cyber, and cyber etoufee, and Gibson had the Gumption to start it all.

The Recipe For CyberSuccess

As in The Matrix, you have two options. Take the red pill, and you can step out of the digital world and go full Luddite, leaving all binary options behind in pursuit of more pastoral pastures. Take the blue pill, and you can continue to explore and enjoy all the wonders of cyberspace, complete with all the risks inherent to your organization’s cybersecurity. If you take the red pill, well, The Dude abides. If you take the blue pill, call ICS first. We didn’t invent cybersecurity, but we wrote the book on it.

]]>5557The Weather Channel On Cybersecurityhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-weather-channel-on-cybersecurity/
Wed, 26 Sep 2018 10:07:52 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5554Imagine Jim Cantore in the classic blue slicker, microphone in hand, battling the winds and rains coming off the gulf coast as a category five hurricane makes landfall. He’s almost horizontal, hanging on to a lamp post as debris flies violently past his head and the forces of nature threaten every fiber of his being.]]>

Imagine Jim Cantore in the classic blue slicker, microphone in hand, battling the winds and rains coming off the gulf coast as a category five hurricane makes landfall. He’s almost horizontal, hanging on to a lamp post as debris flies violently past his head and the forces of nature threaten every fiber of his being.

Now imagine Jim Cantore in board shorts and ball cap, calmly sitting along the same gulf coast sipping a beer and checking emails on his laptop, until the power grid fails and the wifi goes dead, and the beer cooler starts to thaw, and the cell towers cease to function, and the music from the speakers behind the bar go silent, and the patrons eye each other in wonder.

According to a recent Axios analysis, that is the hurricane we should fear the most, a cyber attack so fierce that it cripples infrastructure and sows chaos on a moment’s notice. And the group of experts they consulted suggest such a catastrophe is probably overdue. So stick that in your algorithm and smoke it.

A Relative Sense Of Urgency

The obvious question remains why we don’t all move to the country and stock our fallout shelters with the complete list of official prepper accoutrements. If Chicken Little is right, why are you reading this from the comfort of your IT office? Stock up on canned goods and water, not to mention whiskey and ammunition.

The reality, of course, is daunting. The experts are, well, experts, and we should heed the warnings and prepare for what seems like the inevitable. Part of that preparation, though, begins at home. Take the necessary steps to protect your organization from disasters of all types, including hurricane-force cyberattacks. Before you start screwing the plywood to the windows, though, call ICS. We’re like the Weather Channel of the cyber world. Only better.

]]>5554From Russia, With Lovehttp://www.icsinc.com/from-russia-with-love/
Wed, 19 Sep 2018 10:55:12 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5549Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the voting booth, suspicions emerge anew that Russian hackers are watching from the other side of the screen. Okay, so maybe not the other side of the screen, but a recent Fortune report suggests that the icy past that at least most of us]]>

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the voting booth, suspicions emerge anew that Russian hackers are watching from the other side of the screen. Okay, so maybe not the other side of the screen, but a recent Fortune report suggests that the icy past that at least most of us have enjoyed with Russian interference might just be the gift that keeps on giving this election season. Even the Florida heat, it seems, can’t melt their cold, cold hearts.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson is warning that hackers have penetrated voter registration systems in multiple counties in his state, a development that looms large since he is seeking re-election this year. At this point, it’s uncertain exactly what actions the State of Florida will take to combat these new attacks, but the latest round of attacks seem unlikely to be limited to the Sunshine State.

A Vote For Cybersecurity

It is unlikely that the fate of the American electoral and democratic systems hinge on the security of your network, but the implications are just as extraordinary for your organization’s future. You run on data, just like the rest of the world, and the security of that data in the rest of the world can mean the difference between you running your business or someone else running away with your business.

One way to navigate the stormy waters of cybercrime that lurk just beneath the surface is to add an experienced hand to the tiller. ICS has been helping steer organizational ships around trouble for years, and we can do the same for you. As you plan and budget for the near term and long term, cast a vote for ICS. And don’t wait for November. That might be too late. Call today.

]]>5549Beethoven’s Cybersecurity Symphonyhttp://www.icsinc.com/beethovens-cybersecurity-symphony/
Wed, 12 Sep 2018 10:17:52 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5542The Fifth Symphony is one of Beethoven’s most broadly popular works, with its trademark beginning of attention grabbing followed by a series of foreboding elements that remind us that chaos and death lurk ever-present at the door, and yet it is triumphal in its exploration of that theme through the finish. It’s the standard by]]>

The Fifth Symphony is one of Beethoven’s most broadly popular works, with its trademark beginning of attention grabbing followed by a series of foreboding elements that remind us that chaos and death lurk ever-present at the door, and yet it is triumphal in its exploration of that theme through the finish. It’s the standard by which many music lovers rate the orchestral experience. Diverse in both volume and musical narrative, the Fifth doesn’t get too far along into the weeds, as is often the case with composers following a theme to its rhetorical conclusion. Beethoven seems to prefer, in this work, to keep the ox out of the ditch and offer only those details that move the process forward through our triumph over the darkness and chaos of mortality.

Composing A Masterpiece

As an IT professional, you could’ve written that score on any given day. You face the chaos daily with a steady hand and a quiver of arrows. You work with a team of technicians that march to their own drum and maybe toot their own horn a bit, but they keep their eyes on the prize.

And speaking of eyes, maybe what you need is a fresh set, an objective look at your digital orchestra to make sure everything’s in tune. ICS is the perfect conductor to lead such an effort, and that’s because we conduct vulnerability assessments and pen tests and exhaustive searches of code to find the kazoo player lurking in your woodwinds section, hiding behind the oboe without the slightest interest in singing your song. We’ll find him.

And let’s remember that Beethoven’s Fifth is a funeral dirge. So call ICS today, and let’s triumph over chaos and darkness together, before that kazoo player writes your eulogy.

]]>5542A Remote Chance For Re-Electionhttp://www.icsinc.com/a-remote-chance-for-re-election/
Wed, 05 Sep 2018 15:23:50 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5543This is not a piece about candidates, or even the 2016 elections or the results thereof. This is not even about politics. This is about the security of our elections and, indeed, the future of our democracy. And it’s about cybersecurity. As reported in Motherboard, the nation’s largest voting machine maker has changed its story]]>

This is not a piece about candidates, or even the 2016 elections or the results thereof. This is not even about politics. This is about the security of our elections and, indeed, the future of our democracy. And it’s about cybersecurity.

As reported in Motherboard, the nation’s largest voting machine maker has changed its story and now says that it did install remote access software on machines it sold between 2000 and 2006, in the wake of the “hanging chad” days of Florida recounts. They changed their story only after the subpoena power and congressional review suggested more complicated consequences for withholding the truth. If you find it unlikely that machines put into service that long ago are still in use, remember that we still use air traffic control technology that was outdated in the 1980’s. There’s a good chance that the machine you’ll be standing over is vulnerable to hacking. And regardless of political affiliation, that near certainty should scare you.

The Air Gap Of Elections

Our elections are supposed to be representative of the times and tastes of the American people. Similarly, the machines we use to express those opinions are supposed to be air gapped, or separated from the internet. It’s hard enough to abide the media conflagration and barrage of robocalls that accompany most elections. Must we surrender our privacy at our most intimate point of connection with our democracy, the ballot box?

Our democracy is not perfect, nor will it ever be, but it is the social construct that binds us together as American citizens and gives us a voice in how freedom will ring. That seems worthy of vigilance and protection, on the battlefield and at the ballot box.

]]>5543Hacking The Airporthttp://www.icsinc.com/hacking-the-airport/
Wed, 29 Aug 2018 15:09:22 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5538It’s Thursday afternoon, and the weather is wreaking havoc across the Northeast and Midwest. But you’ve got to get to Cincinnati to take a key client to dinner, to pitch a deal that will make your year and set you on the course to fiscal independence and occupational fame. But the line at the counter]]>

It’s Thursday afternoon, and the weather is wreaking havoc across the Northeast and Midwest. But you’ve got to get to Cincinnati to take a key client to dinner, to pitch a deal that will make your year and set you on the course to fiscal independence and occupational fame. But the line at the counter is twenty deep, and the wait time on the phone is 90 minutes. And here you stand.

What if you could access a terminal through your laptop. Would that help? Assuming, of course, that you could change your flight schedule and be on your way, would such access be worth paying for? What if it cost you $10. That’s right. $10.

Security Week is reporting that McAfee discovered RDP access to just such a terminal on the Dark Web for just such a price. Forget that you probably couldn’t make your own travel arrangements, and forget that your client is probably sitting at the bar right now waiting on you. Consider the chaos that could be unleashed for the nominal sum of $10. Sure, you’re not motivated to perpetrate such ill, but others have proven to be.

Stop The World, I Want To Get Off

If you are tempted to ask when all the madness will end, the answer is cleverly hidden in the bottom of a Maker’s Mark bottle. Search for it. In lieu of such an answer, your best bet is vigilance. And ICS can welcome you to the front of the line on that one.

So call your client at the bar and tell him about the unpredictable weather. And then call ICS, and let’s get to work on the many things we can control.

]]>5538Droning On About Cybersecurityhttp://www.icsinc.com/droning-on-about-cybersecurity/
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 10:23:16 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5535A couple of months ago, a USAF truck traveling between missile silos in Wyoming dropped a box of explosives along the way. Not sure those were ever recovered. That’s an analog security risk, among other things. The digital version, as reported by Fox News and others, is when a hacker stumbles onto documents detailing the]]>

A couple of months ago, a USAF truck traveling between missile silos in Wyoming dropped a box of explosives along the way. Not sure those were ever recovered. That’s an analog security risk, among other things.

The digital version, as reported by Fox News and others, is when a hacker stumbles onto documents detailing the weaknesses of a significant military asset and then attempts to sell those for — stick your pinky to the corner of your lips as you say it — $150 dollars. Seems like a bargain price for such sensitive information, but there’s no telling. Reporting suggests that the documents, recovered from a USAF staff laptop, might not have been the primary target.

Go Forth And Multiply

Take a quick inventory of the number of folks you have in your organization. Now multiply that number by two or three, depending on how tech savvy you think your staff might be. Beyond the laptops and the smartphones, there might be a tablet or two, all of which may, at any point in time, house sensitive material that relates to your organization. Like the poor captain whose laptop surrendered drone details to an accidental hacker, your staff could be leaking like a sieve and you don’t even know it.

Truth is, you might not ever know it, but if you’d like to know, we can help. We can assess vulnerabilities, conduct pen testing, and even scour a million lines of code across your apps, looking for a chink in your armor. Or you can wait for the box of explosives to fall off the tailgate. The odds are better if you call ICS today.

]]>5535Hacking The Weight Offhttp://www.icsinc.com/hacking-the-weight-off/
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 10:07:20 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5528Most of us could stand to lose a few pounds, and that reality has fueled an entire industry around the latest exercise and fitness gadgets, from watches to fitbands and everything in between. Back in the day, it was heart monitors, but now the world is counting every step and using GPS to track every]]>

Most of us could stand to lose a few pounds, and that reality has fueled an entire industry around the latest exercise and fitness gadgets, from watches to fitbands and everything in between. Back in the day, it was heart monitors, but now the world is counting every step and using GPS to track every movement, inspiring friendly competition by data sharing between friends and across platforms. The result may improve our fitness, but it may be sacrificing our safety at the same time.

Security Week isreporting that researchers have been able to track military and intelligence personnel through their fitness app. Several types and brands have shown this vulnerability, and this situation is probably not something that manufacturers could have imagined in the product development phase. The apps are just part of the weakness, since social media and other tools are used to triangulate data and positively identify personnel and movements. Think about the implications, though.

Ground Control To Major Tom

Organizations like yours depend on the perfect match of people and data to grow and prosper, and your staff can’t spend every waking moment in the office. They have lives, they have families, they have fitness objectives. It seems like every day, another piece of our private lives turns out to be threateningly public, so is our better bet simply to remain sedentary and watch our life expectancy plummet?

Perhaps ICS offers a better strategy. We can assess your vulnerabilities and identify steps you can take to increase the longevity of your organization, its physical and digital health. It can be the difference between running with the big dogs or running with your hair on fire. Go with the former and call ICS today.

]]>5528How Tweet It Ishttp://www.icsinc.com/how-tweet-it-is/
Wed, 08 Aug 2018 09:11:44 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5525Twitter was once a quirky little social media platform that challenged folks to express complete thoughts in 140 characters or less. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It seems to have been deployed as a weapon of misinformation across our political processes, though no social media platform (or user, for that matter) is without some responsibility.]]>

Twitter was once a quirky little social media platform that challenged folks to express complete thoughts in 140 characters or less. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It seems to have been deployed as a weapon of misinformation across our political processes, though no social media platform (or user, for that matter) is without some responsibility. Facebook faces the congressional music and promises change, and Twitter is engaging in some systemic changes as well, most notably scouring their rolls for bots and fake accounts that contribute mightily to the confusion. While a larger question about the efficacy of such platforms in the human experience is overdue, efforts to stick the genie back in the bottle are appreciated, if only as demonstrations of good faith.

What’s This Got To Do With Me?

Great question, and oddly it has nothing to do with social media. Twitter is also an organization, a group of people and the technology that curate rapid growth and cultural changes around the globe. Just like your organization, only bigger or smaller. Twitter is pruning their tree, cutting back limbs and branches that don’t support their mission and detract from their efforts to build community. In other organizations, perhaps even yours, user interfaces and API gateways have potentially baked some distasteful ingredients into the cake, and hackers are steadily working their way through those loose ends and into the very soul of your growing business. Unless they’re not, and we hope that’s the case.

If you are not absolutely certain that your data and network are completely safe and invulnerable, you should call ICS today. And, if you ARE absolutely certain, you should call ICS right now. There is no certainty in the ether. ICS can help you move forward with confidence, and that’s as tweet as it gets.

]]>5525Hacking Provokes New Perspectivehttp://www.icsinc.com/hacking-provokes-new-perspective/
Wed, 01 Aug 2018 09:04:56 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5522The power we wield in a digital world can sometimes make us feel bulletproof, like our organizations can conquer the world. To some extent this is true. We do more in less time, enjoy global connectivity, and open the world to new information and transformation. And then we get hacked and it all begins to]]>

The power we wield in a digital world can sometimes make us feel bulletproof, like our organizations can conquer the world. To some extent this is true. We do more in less time, enjoy global connectivity, and open the world to new information and transformation. And then we get hacked and it all begins to look suspicious. In the IT world, maybe it’s just a cost of doing business, a plumbing issue that has to be resolved or a cleanup on aisle nine. It evokes, nevertheless, a visceral response in the victims, even when you know how the mechanisms are deployed and how the man behind the curtain pushes buttons and levers. You never really look at the computer the same way.

Luddite Or Leave It

The natural reaction in your staff and customer base, if your organization has been hacked, is to swing almost to full Luddite, a desire to go back to rotary phones or pony express. And that reaction has to be managed and held in check, because the rest of the world will not take the next digital off ramp just because you let your guard down. And the targets run the gamut, as expressed by a recent Wall Street Journal article about ransomware. Big city, small town, big organization, or one-man shop, the bad guys are out to get you.

Post A Guard

ICS has been a part of the growing cybersecurity community for a long time, but we hesitate to say that we’ve seen it all. Each day brings new challenges, new exploits deployed across presumably safe networks like yours. Maybe it’s time to get a fresh set of friendly eyes on that network, before a bad set takes a peak. Call today.

]]>5522The Snarky Fitbandhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-snarky-fitband/
Wed, 25 Jul 2018 13:26:27 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5516There have been reports of IoT-connected thermostats offering judgmental comments to their owners returning home to the nest a little later than usual. “Home kinda late, don’t you think,” one display read, and “Where do you think you’ve been,” read another. AI should improve the syntax over time, but the comments struck a chord nonetheless.]]>

There have been reports of IoT-connected thermostats offering judgmental comments to their owners returning home to the nest a little later than usual. “Home kinda late, don’t you think,” one display read, and “Where do you think you’ve been,” read another. AI should improve the syntax over time, but the comments struck a chord nonetheless. And then there are the unexpected comments levied of late by various fitbands connected to smartphones. Consumers report feedback like “You didn’t really run that last mile, now did you?” and “My grandmother can do more pull ups than that, you bum.” The snark is palpable but hardly encouraging.

The larger conversation we should be having about — and potentially with — the growing force that is the Internet of Things is how to quantify the improvement these connected devices bring to our lives. And if these things are not completely beneficial, is the invasion of our privacy — remember that nostalgic concept? — really worth the price of admission, because we are admitting an increasing number of devices to our networks every day, to the tune of $62 billion this year alone.

The Analog-Digital Balance

As individuals, we should be concerned about the growing intrusion of devices in our lives, but as organizations that employ individuals, we should fear the thermostat and the fitband. And the blender, the microwave, the fridge, the copier, and even the home security system. All of these devices, while offering a smoother human path in some form or fashion, become in some small way a portal into your organization’s network and data. The smoother your staff’s path, the more vulnerable your organization becomes. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

]]>5516Hey Alexa, How Do You Spell Sabotage?http://www.icsinc.com/hey-alexa-how-do-you-spell-sabotage/
Wed, 18 Jul 2018 10:23:22 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5512Ever have one of those mind-melding journeys through time and space when it feels like someone is reading your mind, where your every thought manifests itself in unpredictable ways? You have if you use a smartphone, and especially if you engage social media on that smartphone. And it’s not really unpredictable. It’s commercial. Next time]]>

Ever have one of those mind-melding journeys through time and space when it feels like someone is reading your mind, where your every thought manifests itself in unpredictable ways? You have if you use a smartphone, and especially if you engage social media on that smartphone. And it’s not really unpredictable. It’s commercial.

Next time you’re at a bar with friends, mention mountain biking or wedgies or the cultural disappearance of the hand-written note, and see how long it takes for an ad for Trek, Tommy John, or Montblanc to appear in your Facebook or Instagram feed. It’s spooky, really, how precise technology and digital mining have become in such a short period of time. Your phone’s microphone and your conversation with friends conspire against you to bring a more engaging capitalism to your door. Now run that scenario out like it’s the latest Jason Bourne thriller and your organization is the target. Feel that? That’s what vulnerable feels like.

Hey Siri, Look Up Bankruptcy

When you think of social engineering, you think of somebody pretending to be an IT repair guy inserting an infected thumb drive into a network computer. Again, think Jason Bourne. But imagine the digital version of that being ever present, probably on the desk or table in front of you right now, listening and processing what you say.

ICS can help you identify threats and vulnerabilities before they result in breaches or incidents that derail your organization and cost you organizational time and treasure.

]]>5512Exposure Of Digital DNAhttp://www.icsinc.com/exposure-of-digital-dna/
Thu, 12 Jul 2018 10:35:16 +0000http://www.icsinc.com/?p=5509The latest revelation about consumer-level DNA mapping — the kind advertised on television that track your origin back to exotic and unexpected continents — is the evolution of a database that exposes both the unsuspecting and the suspicious. Adopted children are reacquainted with birth parents seven decades removed and introduced to sisters that look just]]>

The latest revelation about consumer-level DNA mapping — the kind advertised on television that track your origin back to exotic and unexpected continents — is the evolution of a database that exposes both the unsuspecting and the suspicious. Adopted children are reacquainted with birth parents seven decades removed and introduced to sisters that look just like them. Rapists who have eluded Golden State police for 40 years are brought to justice. And all of this happens with even greater precision as more consumers spit in the vial and send off for their results. Very exciting, indeed.

And then there’s the breach of one of the primary providers of this latest wave of global connectivity, a breach that thankfully resulted in the release of only the email addresses and hashed passwords of account holders. More information on the breach can be found in this Ars Technica report, but the irony cannot be overstated. To this point we considered the greatest exposure was our network and data, but now we find our most intimate and proprietary data is also vulnerable.

The Analog And The Digital Collide

That which makes us uniquely and individually human is stumbling headlong into the public domain, and yet our digital footprints dare not step back from the edge of the abyss. So what’s an organization to do? Your data is your DNA, the lifeblood of all that sets you apart from the crowd.

Hunker down and call ICS. We’ll help protect your most valuable assets against all threats. It’s what we do and, more importantly, it’s in our DNA.

]]>5509Light The Candles Of Cybersecurityhttp://www.icsinc.com/light-the-candles-of-cybersecurity/
Wed, 04 Jul 2018 18:16:47 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5344As we approach our national birthday, now 242 years in the making, let’s look at the trends and expectations settling out there on the horizon. Threats are up, breaches are increasing in size and scope, ransomware is hitting public and private organizations, and researchers struggle to keep pace with the clever people with bad intentions.]]>

As we approach our national birthday, now 242 years in the making, let’s look at the trends and expectations settling out there on the horizon. Threats are up, breaches are increasing in size and scope, ransomware is hitting public and private organizations, and researchers struggle to keep pace with the clever people with bad intentions. Before we eat the cake, we ought to light the way to a more secure future.

One if by LAN, Two if IP

ICS understands the quandary of budgeting. We also struggle to respond to an array of stakeholders, weighing risks and rewards and deploying resources where we see the greatest return. Like you, ROI is in our DNA.

Just like the American colonists, your organization faces unwanted usurpation of power, a foreign and digital hand pulling the switches and buttons and access codes and passwords and all manner of ill-gotten ones and zeros. Paul Revere is saddled and ready, but are we taking his night ride seriously enough? If you could avoid unwanted but seemingly inevitable invasion for pennies on the dollar, would you?

The Shot Heard Round the Web

Meet the New King George. Same as the Old George. He’s a hacker. And the burdensome tax he levies is currently estimated at $80 billion. That’s what folks spent on cybersecurity last year, and it’s projected to increase by at least 10% this year. For the record, it’s also more than four times what Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook spent on R&D last year, combined. So there’s that.

The Battle is Joined

ICS is the highly-skilled band of Minutemen that stands ready to help you thwart even the most sinister of cyber threats. With risk assessment tools and network penetration testing, ICS can clear a perimeter and post a guard, all without breaking the budget.

Take another look at your business and ask yourself, “What is freedom worth?” Now budget a tiny fraction of that number and call in the Minutemen of ICS to secure that freedom for you. Call now. It’ll only take a minute.

Happy Independence Day!

]]>5344All That Glitters Is Not Gold Lowellhttp://www.icsinc.com/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold-lowell/
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 10:10:55 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5341The City of Atlanta was recently the victim of a ransomware attack. As reported by Wired and others, Atlanta paid over $2.7 million dollars in consulting and legal fees to settle a $52,000 ransom. The malware used was of the SamSam strain, and experts at SecureWorks, the response firm working with the City, suggest that]]>

The City of Atlanta was recently the victim of a ransomware attack. As reported by Wired and others, Atlanta paid over $2.7 million dollars in consulting and legal fees to settle a $52,000 ransom. The malware used was of the SamSam strain, and experts at SecureWorks, the response firm working with the City, suggest that the exploit was developed by Gold Lowell. All of this is to say that drilling down on the ransomware origin and vulnerability is the easy part. Other parts are more difficult.

First of these is taking the necessary steps to protect your organization. Knowing what to do and how to prepare runs a parallel course with keeping your systems up to date and your cyber defenses in place and strong. It can be helpful to engage the services of an outside firm to offer fresh perspective on not only the realtime needs of your organization, based on discovered vulnerabilities, but also the planning process for recovery from an incident should it occur. ICS works with clients to address all points on this spectrum.

Second is the more philosophical conundrum of ransomware, specifically the debate on whether to pay the ransom. Obviously, it is the tendency of folks to pay that undergirds the success of the exploit, so it would be easy to simplify the response to non-payment. The issues, though, are more complex than that, and the price points used in the exploits demonstrate a keen awareness of the victim’s internal calculus and willingness to pay.

All Who Wonder Are Not Lost

You probably have questions about your security. Maybe you just need a fresh set of eyes on your systems and processes, or an assessment of your network’s vulnerability. Better to be curious and vigilant than certain, it seems. So let’s start a conversation. What could it hurt? Just ask the friendly folks in Hotlanta.

]]>5341A Bite Of The Applehttp://www.icsinc.com/a-bite-of-the-apple/
Wed, 27 Jun 2018 10:54:07 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5337One of Apple’s many selling points, beyond the cool factor and lifestyle connectivity, is the relative security of Apple products, partly because of architecture and partly because their market share of end users remains relatively low. More people, it seems, prefer other hardware and operating systems. The only outlier may be the iPhone, so let’s]]>

One of Apple’s many selling points, beyond the cool factor and lifestyle connectivity, is the relative security of Apple products, partly because of architecture and partly because their market share of end users remains relatively low. More people, it seems, prefer other hardware and operating systems. The only outlier may be the iPhone, so let’s assume that to be the case — and forgo all the market data that might support it — for the sake of this discussion.

In our assumption of the dominance of the iPhone in its space, researchers may have discovered a new way to take a bite out of that Apple in someone’s hand. It involves the user’s connection to iTunes and their opting to synch over Wi-Fi, one of the options for connecting. Users are prompted to “trust” the computer they’re connecting to, and the language of that prompt suggests that the trust is necessary only as long as the phone is connected. Security Week writes that researchers have found that, to paraphrase Twain, “It ain’t what you don’t know, it’s what you know for certain that ain’t necessarily so.”

Bigger Name On The Other Line

While “Trustjacking” is just one of the latest potential attack methods, it is representative of far more than that specific vulnerability. Clever minds sometimes collide with nefarious purposes, and it seems their appetite is insatiable. To keep up with the evolution of cyberthreats seems an impossible task, and perhaps it is. But there are clever folks with good intentions fighting that good fight every day, and ICS is proud to call many of them family.

So before your network or data get a call from the dark side, call ICS. We earn the trust of our clients every day, and we’d like to earn yours.

]]>5337Do You Have Gas?http://www.icsinc.com/do-you-have-gas/
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 10:26:22 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5334Let’s be honest. There are worse predicaments than having gas. One of them, perhaps, is not having gas. Another is surrendering to some bad actor the capacity to determine whether or not you have gas. The boys at the fourth grade lunch table would snicker and call it strategic flatulence, but we’re not in the]]>

Let’s be honest. There are worse predicaments than having gas. One of them, perhaps, is not having gas. Another is surrendering to some bad actor the capacity to determine whether or not you have gas. The boys at the fourth grade lunch table would snicker and call it strategic flatulence, but we’re not in the fourth grade and, as it turns out, someone else may be eating our lunch.

Bloomberg and others are reporting that the data systems of at least four gas networks have been recently affected by cyberattacks. The areas affected were communications oriented and not operational, but systems were shut down until a comprehensive assessment of the threat could be made.

Drill Baby Drill

Let’s consider for a moment the potential impact of a breach on the operational infrastructure of a massive utility network. If you are in the IT business, only the scale of the impact would be different. There are really only two types of businesses: those who run on data and those in denial. If your business runs on data (see the previous dichotomy), you feel the sting of every breach that reaches media attention and public consciousness, nevermind the others that occur but for whatever reason remain in the shadows. Either way, you know the clock is ticking, you feel the urgency.

The Cure For IT Discomfort

If you suffer from sleeplessness or anxiety due to uncertainty about your ability to deal effectively with growing threats to your network and data, take two deep breaths and call ICS right away. Know the peaceful sleep of the cybersecure. Now about that gas….

]]>5334The Subtle Irony Of Cybersecurityhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-subtle-irony-of-cybersecurity/
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 10:11:33 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5331You are the master of the manor, the king of the castle, and you will deploy the greatest weapons in your vast arsenal to protect your business, your people, and your customers. Back in the day, your would wrap your soldiers in chain mail and the heaviest of protective layers, and you would call it]]>

You are the master of the manor, the king of the castle, and you will deploy the greatest weapons in your vast arsenal to protect your business, your people, and your customers. Back in the day, your would wrap your soldiers in chain mail and the heaviest of protective layers, and you would call it armor. In today’s world of threats and attacks, the armor isn’t always effective.

Consider Under Armour, a name you’ve probably heard of and maybe even worn. In the last couple of months, their armor was breached, affecting 150 million of their customers and, ultimately, their business. And this is a company with Armour in their name. The irony is palpable.

Bring Me A Shrubbery

While no credit card information or social security numbers were stolen, customers using the MyFitnessPal application on their smartphones had their usernames and email addresses stolen, among other data. While there is nothing funny about the theft of any data, parts of this breach suggest that cyber attacks are sometimes executed to simply demonstrate that such an attack is possible, to remind us all that vigilance must be steadfast and strong.

Knights Of The Round Table

Protecting your kingdom from the growing and pernicious army of cyberthreats falls to you, the unsung hero of our tale, the IT Professional or C-Suite Equivalent who knows the language and posts a guard. Still, the best strategy is to surround yourself with warriors who dedicate themselves to your cause and bring mighty skills to the table in service of your objectives. And you can’t even spell objectives without ICS. Why would you want to pursue them without us?

]]>5331Is It That Time Again Already?http://www.icsinc.com/is-it-that-time-again-already/
Wed, 06 Jun 2018 10:15:24 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5326Graduations, weddings, and beach trips. These mark the transition from spring to summer. And, if you live along the Gulf Coast, hurricanes. Before the June page is even visible on our calendars, meteorological disturbances lurk in the increasingly warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Meteorology is a good thing, most of the time, but]]>

Graduations, weddings, and beach trips. These mark the transition from spring to summer. And, if you live along the Gulf Coast, hurricanes. Before the June page is even visible on our calendars, meteorological disturbances lurk in the increasingly warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Meteorology is a good thing, most of the time, but disturbances are rarely positive. Especially when they upset the flow and growth of your business.

The Certainty of Uncertainty

We can debate the human impact on climate change, but evidence suggests that the climate is changing and the weather is following suit. So as bad as weather pattern prediction has been in the past, it is only going to get worse, making it even more important to incorporate disaster preparedness into your business planning for the future.

Standards established by the Disaster Recovery Institute International guide our time-tested methods of anticipating a natural or political disaster and strategic recovery from damage incurred as a result of such a disaster. Our proven planning protocols enable your business or organization to resume operations at planned levels of service following virtually any interruption. Planning includes:

Formalizing a backup and recovery strategy

Selecting alternate facilities when necessary

Planning for resumed operations at alternate facilities

Aligning and communicating with vendors

Training staff on all procedures and protocols

ICS: The Best Port In A Storm

Already have a plan in place? Nice work. How about a second opinion from an industry leader in this space? ICS recommends that organizations test their plans and readiness at least every three years. Call us today and put us to the test. We’ll make the grade.

]]>5326Not As Fast As You Might Thinkhttp://www.icsinc.com/not-as-fast-as-you-might-think/
Wed, 30 May 2018 10:53:11 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5311In a recent Security Week article, Justin Fier holds forth on a topic that is at once both incredible and credible. The topic is data exfiltration, and the perspective the article casts makes it a worthy read. Most consumers and laypeople in the commercial streams of the Internet think data breaches occur with great haste,]]>

In a recent Security Week article, Justin Fier holds forth on a topic that is at once both incredible and credible. The topic is data exfiltration, and the perspective the article casts makes it a worthy read. Most consumers and laypeople in the commercial streams of the Internet think data breaches occur with great haste, like Madge in accounting steps away from her desk for a moment and hackers move all the data to a thumb drive before she gets back with a cup of coffee and a problem. Though the thought of Tom Cruise dropping from the ceiling with a CD-ROM is good cinema, the reality is far more boring and difficult to catch.

Fier offers some charts to delineate the timeline for some recent hacks, with names you know and details you might not. He accounts for the migration of that data in terms of days and weeks, not minutes. Like the slow drip from a tiny hole in the bilge, the ship is sunk before the folks with the view even know what’s happening. With data, surely somebody notices that it’s grown legs over time, but that is not always the case.

A Possible Solution

To keep up with the bad guys who are, in turn, trying to keep up with the good guys, Fier looks at emerging technologies like AI, methods and capabilities that grow and evolve alongside the assets they protect.

While AI might be the panacea we seek, ICS offers some battle-tested HI, or human intelligence. Call today and let us in the door, before your data starts a slow waltz out the door.

]]>5311Fridge With A Mind Of Its Ownhttp://www.icsinc.com/fridge-with-a-mind-of-its-own/
Wed, 16 May 2018 10:24:03 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5304Well not exactly. Let’s just say the refrigerator may not always be focused on keeping your lettuce crisp. In a recent Express post, Harvey Gavin reports that hackers could seize control of your Samsung refrigerator and use it to mine bitcoin. And it’s not just the fridge. The entire network of household appliances could adopt the]]>

Well not exactly. Let’s just say the refrigerator may not always be focused on keeping your lettuce crisp.

In a recent Express post, Harvey Gavin reports that hackers could seize control of your Samsung refrigerator and use it to mine bitcoin. And it’s not just the fridge. The entire network of household appliances could adopt the bitcoin craze and subordinate the icing of your tea to the appropriation of cryptocurrency. This is the part where you tell your friends on game day, “Hold my beer and watch this. We’re gonna mine us some bitcoin during the halftime show.”

The Good Old Days

Call me a Luddite, but sometimes I long for the days of yore, when a fridge kept the beer cold and we printed money down at the Treasury, with the involvement and oversight of the U.S. Government. And yet we run headlong into an age of smart homes with centralized devices like a Google Home of Amazon Alexa. Not only are all of our conversations recorded and mined, rumor has it Alexa has begun randomly uttering a witch-like cackle in the middle of the night. As they say at the rodeo, “If that don’t get your fire started, your wood’s wet.”

What’s The Point?

While we may have gotten too smart for our britches (but not our breaches), there seems little chance of putting that genie back in the bottle. When you leave your smart home and go to the smart office, that vulnerability rides along. ICS can help you make sense of your organization’s exposure. Call today, but post a guard at the networked printer in the meantime. It looks suspicious.

]]>5304The Real Dealhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-real-deal/
Wed, 09 May 2018 15:48:26 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5294In a recent television interview, FBI Director Chris Wray reflected on Russian hacking into the American power grid and other vital infrastructure. The breach occurred in early March, and Wray didn’t mince words, calling the invasion “the real deal.” First the elections and now the grid? Wait. Wasn’t America struggling with a post-cold war identity]]>

In a recent television interview, FBI Director Chris Wray reflected on Russian hacking into the American power grid and other vital infrastructure. The breach occurred in early March, and Wray didn’t mince words, calling the invasion “the real deal.” First the elections and now the grid? Wait. Wasn’t America struggling with a post-cold war identity crisis as the last remaining super power? These events are like the plot threads of a science fiction novel, and the ending is fuzzy but dark. We talk a lot about organizational cyberthreats and the breaches of big corporate retailers and banks, but the thought of the grid going dark has largely been the domain of Hollywood until very recently.

The Zombies Are Coming!

As you try to get your mind around the scale and scope of the exploit that penetrates the grid, put a number to that. Numbers help simplify perspective. So let’s say, on a scale of 1 to 10, it comes in at a 9, saving 10 for absolute armageddon. For grins, let’s suppose a complete shutdown of your organization’s network and confiscation of your data is, on the same scale, a mere 2 in scope and scale. The internal math on that suggests a complete surrender of your digital assets is more likely a 10 for your business. It might not shut the country down, but it will slam your organization to a halt faster than you can say, “Hey, what happened to the lights?”

No matter the size of your operation, a breach is the real deal. But so is ICS, and we can help protect your systems and keep the math on your side. Call today.

]]>5294Monetizing Uncle Larry’s Politicshttp://www.icsinc.com/monetizing-uncle-larrys-politics/
Wed, 02 May 2018 10:17:00 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5291Facebook, and social media in general, opened the floodgates of torrential conversation. As has been said of the technology, “The good news is, everybody has a voice. The bad news is everybody has a voice.” For many, Facebook has been slipping into a realm of political rants separated only by friend requests from high school]]>

Facebook, and social media in general, opened the floodgates of torrential conversation. As has been said of the technology, “The good news is, everybody has a voice. The bad news is everybody has a voice.” For many, Facebook has been slipping into a realm of political rants separated only by friend requests from high school sweethearts and pop-up ads. That hint of decline — it seems unlikely that the founders had the current state as a start-up goal — hasn’t slowed the membership growth, however, and millions continue to express their views openly and, until recently, they assumed privately.

Big Data Unleashed

Data from over 50 million user accounts was lifted from Facebook, ostensibly for academic research, and then passed along to political operatives for the creation and dissemination of misinformation during our 2016 elections. This NY Times article will fill in some details, but most outlets are covering the fray, so pick your poison. Most informed perspectives are connecting the data with Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm used by the Trump campaign, and those connections do not bode well for anyone involved. At the beginning of the story, though, were 50 million Facebook users who thought the scope of their audience was limited to their followers and their forwards. Nevertheless, their data were aggregated, mined, and used in ways they probably hadn’t imagined.

There, but for the Grace of God, Go I

Without bending theology unnecessarily, it’s safe to say that the heavens control little of the digital space. There remains the human element, though, and bad people will find clever ways to use your data, ways that you hadn’t imagined.

Instead, it might be best to face the issue head on and book some time with ICS. For the safety of your staff, your organization, and your data, let’s put some fresh eyes on your systems and practices. Unless you like chaos, mayhem, and bad publicity.

As a part of reconciling interests following a highly publicized breach, victim organizations often apologize with an offer to induce customers to remain or return to the fold. Retailers may reduce prices or offer subscription memberships, while banks may offer credit reporting or monitoring for a year or enhanced rates on accounts. These are examples of ways that a breach bleeds over from the IT department to the marketing department, and sometimes one is left to wonder if, in a small way, the tail’s not wagging the dog. Even if the breach resulted in limited to no impact on consumers, the ubiquity of cyberthreats and the sense of urgency resulting from a breach offers businesses an opportunity to demonstrate swift and decisive action to protect customer data, a boon for PR and marketing.

And Speaking of Risk

A recent Financial Times article, “Cyber Attacks: The Risks of Pricing Digital Cover,” suggests that insurance policies against breach may be worth as much as $10 billion by 2020. They further suggest that insurers are scrambling to better understand the risks involved, as underwriting the unknown seems inversely correlated to profitability. The hard truth buried in those numbers is that even those practiced in the art of quantifying business risk are struggling.

The Right Policies Are The Best Insurance

ICS is an expert at assessing your risk and vulnerabilities in the digital space, and we can work with your organization to establish policies and protocols that will protect you and yours. After all, you can’t spell security without ICS. Call today.

]]>5288Stuxnet: The Gift That Keeps On Givinghttp://www.icsinc.com/stuxnet-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving/
Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:40:39 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5231Remember that time when the Iranian nuclear program was flummoxed by the speeding up or slowing down of their centrifuges? Though the actors have never been formally identified, the special sauce to that enterprise was Stuxnet, and the secret ingredient of that sauce was counterfeit cryptographic certificates from known companies that greased the skids for]]>

Remember that time when the Iranian nuclear program was flummoxed by the speeding up or slowing down of their centrifuges? Though the actors have never been formally identified, the special sauce to that enterprise was Stuxnet, and the secret ingredient of that sauce was counterfeit cryptographic certificates from known companies that greased the skids for the malware. Ars Technica is reporting that the secret ingredients are now commonly available for all of your over-the-counter malware needs, if you know who to call.

Just to be clear, the fake certificates tend to be invalidated fairly quickly, but the fact that a secondary market exists suggests that the scam is successful at least some of the time, especially with Trojans and ransomware. While this probably doesn’t surprise you, since the InterWebs offer markets in just about everything, it should give you pause, since the seemingly legitimate certificate makes it even more difficult to identify malware as it streams through your network.

There’s A Price For That

As with all markets, the price is negotiated by buyers and sellers, and affected by supply and demand. Cybercrime is ever present. The supply of tools like counterfeit certificates will rise to meet demand. The growing nature of our digital footprints, and the reality that most of our lives are rendered in ones and zeros, suggests that demand for access to that sensitive data isn’t likely to wane in the near term. So there’s a price for that access.

Here’s the question. What’s the value of your data? And further, what’s the value of the integrity of your network? Because there’s a price for that as well, and it’s likely to be very reasonable when compared to picking up the pieces.

Call ICS today, and let’s do some math. And then let’s secure your world.

]]>5231This Is Only A Testhttp://www.icsinc.com/this-is-only-a-test/
Wed, 11 Apr 2018 10:30:47 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5229Imagine a scenario in which one of your employees — Madge in accounting, or Skip in sales, for instance — selects an incorrect option from a drop-down menu and opens your network and data to the world. Working with that set of menu options is part of his daily routine, but for some reason the mouse clicks on the “organizational armageddon” option instead of the “test network security” option. It might be difficult to imagine, but it demonstrates the truth in the old wisdom that you’re only as good as your weakest link. And you don’t need to imagine it, because this scenario played out in Hawaii recently, as reported by The Washington post and others.

Beginning his shift with the routine tests, an employee of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency broadcast through all appropriate channels that a nuclear attack was imminent and that all Hawaiians should take cover and prepare for a North Korean missile assault. There was no actual threat, as was communicated as soon as possible, but for a short period of time, anxiety ran high and chaos ensued. But it was a mistake.

If This Were An Actual Emergency

No procedures or protocols can ensure that employees won’t make mistakes, but every possible precaution should be taken to limit the organizational exposure as your network and data follow your staff into the world to grow and prosper. And maybe the release of your data into the wild is not analogous with nuclear war, but the chaos that would follow is probably best avoided.

Let ICS take a look at your security practices and protocols, before somebody pushes the wrong button.

]]>5229Got Your Head In The Clouds?http://www.icsinc.com/got-your-head-in-the-clouds/
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 10:25:36 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5226A recent cloud security report, as you might expect, had some good news and some bad. Somewhere in the middle is the news that’s just that: news. The cases you hear the most about, like the ransomware attacks, make up only about 2% of the overall picture, while web applications represent about 75% of the vulnerability. As for cloud storage and cloud services, the report found that public clouds are more than 50% safer than private or onsite storage. A recent article by Security Intelligence summed it up nicely, and we commend that to your reading list. That’s good to know, especially if you are scaling up or outgrowing your current storage arrangement. But it’s not a perfect system.

Take, for instance, recent reporting that Tesla’s cloud system (AWS account) was hijacked and used to mine cryptocurrency. CNBC’s story outlines and incident that affected others as well as Tesla. To be clear, the breach occurred through an administrative portal that, apparently, was not password protected, and is not indicative of negligence on the part of AWS. It does demonstrate, however, that the cloud increases the vulnerability of organizational resources, and sophisticated hackers are making quick work of their exploitation.

A Down To Earth Solution

Hacking is not rocket science or brain surgery, but how long before hackers are actively engaged in those things through breaches? Pacemakers can be hacked and leading edge car companies can, too. Looks pretty grim for the rest of us, the normal organizations trying to make a living and a difference. But there’s hope.

ICS can help you keep the rain out of your cloud. Call today, for a sunnier tomorrow.

]]>5226The Most Interesting IT Guy In The Worldhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-most-interesting-it-guy-in-the-world/
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 10:20:35 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5224You’ve seen him at conferences, sporting an ascot and a pocket protector and making it look good. He works the vendor pit like he owns the place, collecting cards and envy from everyone he meets, and connecting demand with supply in subtle but glamorous ways. He walks into a seminar like he was walking onto a yacht, his credentials strung unassumingly around his neck like a lift ticket from Davos. The panel surrenders a seat at the table and he holds forth on contemporaneous cyber issues. He is undoubtedly the most interesting IT guy in the world.

At the hotel bar later, a gorgeous and brilliant woman on each arm, he regales the growing crowd with stories of the cyber frontier, from the days of dial-up to the high-speed heroism of modern hand-to-hand hacker combat, where desperados are separated by only a keyboard, a screen, and the thinnest of Cat-5 threads. He tells the tales with a gleam in one eye while the other scans the room for threats and vulnerabilities. Damn, he’s good.

As his audience recovers from his latest story of high cyber adventure, he turns to the bartender to freshen his drink, offering to buy another round for the house as well, to the delight of his adoring fans waiting anxiously for the next narrative narcotic. He is, after all, the most interesting IT guy in the world. Raising his glass to the room, he says with a discerning countenance, “Stay secure, my friends.”

]]>5224The Cure For What Ails Youhttp://www.icsinc.com/the-cure-for-what-ails-you/
Wed, 21 Mar 2018 10:20:56 +0000http://icsinc.com/?p=5222History is rife with examples of enterprising salesmen rushing into lucrative markets to fill a void, real or perceived. Contractors and roofers who work the hurricane and tornado circuits, lawyers pitching the massive settlements they’ve secured for their clients, and even gameshow hosts selling reverse mortgages and arthritis balms. Like the Wizard in Oz, when you pull the curtain back, it’s a simple snake oil salesman with a good story. And the cybersecurity world has been a growth industry for those who overpromise but underdeliver.

Testing A Bulletproof Vest With A Water Gun

Gizmodo recently ran a story about the prevalence of such operations, including the perspective of an industry veteran in the pen-testing arena. The long and short of it, from his perspective, is that the promise of absolute security is a pipe dream, and those who guarantee it are naive at best and scammers at worst. But most consumers, even the most gifted inhabitants of the C-Suite, would have difficulty discerning the sincerity from the snake oil, especially since the promise of security is only truly disproven when things go south. The hard truth is there are no magic formulas or fixes. Your security requires steady vigilance with the flow of fresh eyes and ideas, and even that offers no bulletproof vest.

A True Partnership

Just as it is true that one solution doesn’t fit all problems, it is also true that there is a finite spectrum of cybersecurity threats, most variations on a handful of exploits. Experience gained over time is one of the quiet assets of ICS. We might not have seen it all, but we’ve seen enough to know where to look. And sometimes a fresh perspective is all it takes to dodge a bullet.